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Reflections from Peru by Jacqueline Acosta When I was 11 years old, I came to the United States. My parents and I decided to come and start a new life here. I always kept on mind that is going to be a bit hard to get used the different way of life. My goal was to be a good student, but there was one thing that stopped from being confident to myself, that was not knowing as much English. I thought about that all the time, and was scared of not complete my goal. All that I could do is just give the best of me. |
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| At 7:00 in the morning. I was ready to go to school. My mind was full of questions, some questions that scared but the only answer was to think positive. My parents and I were heading to the office. There were so many different looking faces. Some were happy, some girls were talking, some boys were talking. They all had something in common. |
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| My parents were about to leave, I didn't want them to leave. I was scared. My hands were shaking, but the bell was going to ring soon anyways, so they left. I entered my classroom. Each desk had a card with a name written on it. I looked for my name, sat in my desk and took a deep breath. I felt prepared cause I knew there were going to be a lot of things that I was going to go through. My teacher welcomed us in a very friendly way. I felt good and liked that very much. |
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Everybody talked perfect English! |
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We started the class by giving our names and sharing what we did over the summer. Everybody before me talked perfect English and talked so fast I couldn't even understand them. Finally the moment came. It was my turn. I said my name and what I did over the summer. When I finished, I looked at everybody and they all understood me. I don't even know how I did it, but I did and it felt great. And that's why I think that knowing how to speak English is very, very important. |
| Homework seemed very hard for me and took me hours to finish. Is just that everything was in English. There were times when I wanted to give up because I was scared not to be the good student that I was in my own country. My parents always comforted me and told me that everything takes time and that I had to be patient. They were absolutely right.
What Helped the Most |
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Now I'm starting the 7th grade. Once more I am a good student like in my country. I feel very happy for myself. The best thing is that my parents are very proud of me. I think all the hard work was worth it because education is the most important fact in my life. |
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- You can respond to this letter by writing to the editor.
- Maybe you came from another culture and have your own story to tell.
- Do you know someone from another culture that would like to tell his or her story?
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| ESL Ministry |
| Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church |
1801 Lacassie Avenue  Walnut Creek California 94596 925-935-1574 |
| Joanne Rae Meads jrmeads@worldnet.att.net |
| Updated September 16, 1999 |